Niceness is a socialized disposition, particularly amongst white women, that prioritizes comfort and neutrality while preventing resistance against oppressive systems. Given the demographics of teachers and teacher educators, niceness and whiteness are deeply embedded in programs and institutions. As eight white, female teacher educators, we drew…

Objective: To investigate the influence of grit on physical activity, sleep and diet in undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: 125 undergraduate students participated in the study. Participants completed an online survey while enrolled in an online class during June, 2020. Methods: The online questionairre featured the…

We report two experiments on the emission of questions to request the names of unfamiliar stimuli by preschoolers. In the first experiment, 19 preschoolers with and without disabilities served as participants. Experiment 1 was a descriptive analysis of whether or not the 19 participants asked questions about unfamiliar pictures and objects in…

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes represent a unique subculture on college campuses, and the athlete must balance the rigors of coursework, athletics, and the non-traditional dynamics associated with being an athlete, which include "dumb jock" stereotypes, isolation, negative criticism, and the fear…

Organized sports are an important context for promoting character, and the particular values emphasized illuminate how a setting develops or reveals character. The Character in Sport Index (CSI), an observer rating scale of sportsmanship in cadets within the United States Military Academy (USMA; 2 samples, n = 1,926 and 1,798) engaged in…

Teacher-student connection is influenced by several factors and one possible factor is teachers' creative-thinking preferences (CTP). The present study investigated the extent to which teachers' CTP predicts their view of favorable student characteristics. Teachers' CTP was measured by FourSight that featured four preferences: clarifying,…

A developmental model linking professionalism and character growth is implemented at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (USMA) through its programs and policies. The current study used growth-modeling techniques to examine developmental relationships between metrics of professional development and performance outcomes at USMA and assessed…

There is no "magic potion" or vaccine to prevent youth from using alcohol or other drugs. Adolescent substance abuse prevention programs have been largely ineffective because the messaging is taken for granted. Efforts based on theories of growth and development patterns, and are inclusive of strategies beyond the classroom and home,…

Developing character strengths such as kindness and perseverance are just as crucial as academics for today's learners. This article describes how the author and the classroom teacher worked one-on-one with a third grade class to teach such attributes. Approximately once a month the classroom teacher and the author taught lessons on kindness,…

Research about the structure of character has largely assessed purported universal attributes. However, character develops within specific social, cultural and institutional contexts. As part of the first wave of a longitudinal study (Project Arete) of character development among cadets at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point,…

This article discusses an alternative learning project that was conducted in an online course at a teacher education program from Fall 2012 to Fall 2015. As part of the course, students had to create avatars, an alter ego, and think and act as their avatars when faced with educational issues. The project strives to overcome challenges that teacher…

Early adolescence is a dynamic period for the development of alcohol appraisals (expected outcomes of drinking and subjective evaluations of expected outcomes), yet the literature provides a limited understanding of psychosocial factors that shape these appraisals during this period. This study took a comprehensive view of alcohol appraisals and…

Compelling reasons exist for moving toward inclusion of diverse learners in Jewish day schools. Graduate programs face the challenge of preparing pre- and in-service teachers as effective educators for inclusive settings. While the development of skills is vital, the inculcation of positive attitudes regarding diverse learners may be equally…

This research study analyzes preferred leadership dispositions for teachers, parents, and school leaders. Respondents selected their most preferred dispositions from a list of 20 (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium) leadership standards. Similarities and differences were discerned among the constituent groups. School leaders, teachers,…

Resilience is an important social justice concept that has important implications for educators working with exceptional youth in rural underserved communities who may suffer from the consequences associated with economic hardships. This multi-school qualitative study examined resilience among exceptional youth living in rural poverty through the…